EARTH MOVING APPARATUSES AND PROCESS

• US 3,738,028 A
• Filed: 05/30/1972
• Issued: 06/12/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert L. Reinhardt
• Original Assignee: Robert L. Reinhardt
• Inventors: Reinhardt, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Penn, William B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eickholt, Eugene H.
• Application Number:
  US05/257,638
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: 37/4,8,9,124-126,129 198/213,216,64,121-125 214/501,83,83.26,83.32
• US Class Current: 37/416
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/6463 with rotatable scraper bowls for dumping the soil with only elements of the scraper bowls being pivotable E02F3/6472
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/655 Loading or elevator mechanisms loading devices for excavators in general E02F7/04

Abstract

In earth moving apparatuses dual screw conveyors are resiliently spaced from and supported by a hood thereover which hood is movably mounted at its front end in the mouth of a scoop and transport bowl to accomodate surges in feed, to fully and evenly and quietly and safely load the bowl and to smoothly unload the bowl.

Claims

1. An earth moving apparatus comprising a rigid frame, said frame being supported on wheels;

a bowl assembly, said bowl assembly comprising rigid side and bottom and rear walls, said side and bottom walls forming a mouth at the front of said bowl assembly, pivotal bowl assembly supports on said frame, a rear portion of said bowl pivotally supported thereon, bowl height adjusting means between and operatively connected to said frame and to a front portion of said bowl;

a conveyor assembly located within said bowl, said conveyor assembly comprising a hood unit and a screw assembly, said screw assembly comprising a screw means mounted on a rigid shaft coaxial with said screw means and firmly attached thereto, said hood unit comprising a rigid elongated imperforate curved sHeet with its length parallel to the length of said shaft;

shaft support means resiliently and yieldably supported from and below said hood unit at both front and rear ends of the shaft and holding the edges of the screw means adjacent the hood unit, shaft drive means operatively connected to said shaft, said conveyor assembly extending from the said mouth of said bowl assembly towards the rear thereof, conveyor assembly support means and pivotal support means for said conveyor assembly, said pivotal support means pivotally attached to said conveyor assembly support means.

2. Earth moving apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said conveyor assembly comprises a hood unit and a plurality of screw assemblies, each said screw assembly comprising a rigid screw means comprising a helical plate mounted on a rigid shaft coaxial with the helical plate, said hood unit comprising a plurality of elongated imperforate curved sheets each extending over the full length of said screw means and around the edge of each helical plate transverse to the length of the shaft for the distance of the radius of the helical plate and each of said curved sheets joined to the other as an intregal unit, said driving means arranged to drive said screw means in opposite directions, said helical blades curved in equal and opposite directions, and a cutter blade attached to the front end of said bottom wall of said bowl.

3. Earth moving apparatus as in claim 2 comprising also bowl height adjusting means attached at one end thereof to said frame and at another end thereof to the rear portion of said bowl.

4. Apparatus as in claim 3 comprising also cooperating tongue means attached to the front end of the hood, and ledge means attached to the front end of the bowl, said tongue and ledge means engaging to hold the bottom of the screw means out of contact with said bottom wall of said bowl and means resiliently urging said front end of the hood downwards towards said bottom wall of said bowl.

5. Apparatus as in claim 4 comprising also cooperating engaging means firmly attached to said bowl and extending into the path of the conveyor assembly in the bowl about its pivotal support to engage the conveyor assembly and to limit the pivotal movement of the conveyor assembly within the bowl.

6. Apparatus as in claim 4 including hydraulic lift means operatively attached to the rear of said conveyor assembly and hydraulic motor means as said driving means and a common source of high pressure hydraulic liquid connected to said lift means and to said motor means whereby said conveyor means is raised responsive to the presence of material in said bowl.